In Isaiah 57:20–21, God tells us,
“The wicked are like the tossing sea;
for it cannot be quiet,
and its waters toss up mire and dirt.
There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”
Though those verses describe the experience of “the wicked,” many Christians perhaps find the feelings they evoke all too familiar. It sounds a great deal like what we call, in contemporary language, stress.
Many practical factors affect our stress levels—how we work, what we watch, when we sleep, and so on. But the fact is, as long as we reject God, our lives will always “toss up mire and dirt”—even in their apparently peaceful parts! But to know God is to know a peace that transcends even dire circumstances.
It’s for this reason that Paul was able to instruct the church in Philippi, “Rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil. 4:4)—or, as The Message paraphrases it, we are to “celebrate God all day, every day.” Paul wrote these words from a dungeon in Rome—a stressful environment, to say the least. Nevertheless, without denying the reality of the difficulties he faced, he could find joy, hope, and peace in God. Amidst trying circumstances, he learned to depend on God entirely. And finding everything in God, he wasn’t tempted to look elsewhere—to finances, accolades, his waistline, his step count, or anything else.
To know God is to know a peace that transcends even dire circumstances.
Paul went on to write, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6–7).
Philippi was a garrison city of Rome. Roman soldiers guarded the city walls, and citizens would wake in the morning and go to sleep at night knowing that those sentries protected them from war without and chaos within. And so Paul says, in effect, “As you think about those sentries on guard around the walls of Philippi, think about the peace of God being on guard around your mind and around your life. You will discover it when you learn not to worry about anything, to tell God about everything, and not to forget to thank Him for His answers.”
In this instruction, Paul was echoing what Jesus had said: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:28–30). That’s a picture from agriculture, of beasts of burden yoked for a task, as though Jesus were saying, “Get underneath the bridle of My responsibility and wisdom, and let Me guide me. I promise you: My yoke won’t chafe your neck.”
This is an invitation we need to answer before we experience its benefits—and sometimes those benefits can still take a long time to come to fruition. But the promise of God’s Word is that as we submit ourselves to Christ, casting our burdens onto Him (1 Peter 5:7) and accepting His lordship, we will, in the long term, experience the freedom faith makes possible. Christianity is not true because it works, but it works because it is true.
And so, when we seek to view the difficulties in our lives through the lens of faith, our first question shouldn’t be “Can I pop this Christian pill and deal with my stress?” Rather, we should ask ourselves, “Is the one who issued this invitation to a light burden and an easy yoke honest and able?” As we learn to trust Him, we will find that what He requires of us does not drain or defeat us but builds us up, while that which the world uses to sap our energy and dilute our attention begins to lose its power.
Christianity is not true because it works, but it works because it is true.
Yet all of this begins with accepting the invitation. If you want to lay down your burdens, you can begin today, with a simple prayer: “Lord, I accept Your invitation. I know that You are good and able to help me. Will You help me with what I face today?”
This article was adapted from the sermon “Dealing with Stress” by Alistair Begg.
